Security up along Tamil Nadu coast

Chennai, April 26 (IANS) Security has been beefed up along Tamil Nadu’s 650-km coastline stretching from here to Rameshwaram following intelligence inputs that LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran may attempt to cross over from Sri Lanka, police said Sunday. The intelligence inputs indicated possibilities of the beleaguered Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Prabhakaran crossing over to Tamil Nadu amid a smokescreen of alleged assaults on local fishermen by Indian naval personnel in Rameshwaram, 600 km south of here.

“We have received inputs indicating Prabhakaran’s attempts to cross the Palk Strait into India and are taking no chances since false reports are likely to be planted to sow seeds of confusion among security personnel,” a police official said on condition of anonymity.

Top police sources here said that Quick Reaction Teams have been deployed under the supervision of superintendent of police Mukund Kotnis with active cooperation from Coast Guard patrol vessels all the way from Nagappattinam, 300 km south of here, right up to Rameshwaram, 300 km further southwards.

Meanwhile, Coast Guard official R. Janarthanam denied unconfirmed reports of alleged attacks on local fishermen by Indian defence personnel.

“Local fisheries’ officials have been quoted by the media here that 10 Indian fishermen were injured in an attack by our people. These are false, mischievous rumours as none of the Indian defence vessels attacked anyone,” Janarthanam said on phone from Rameshwaram.

“So far we have no clues about the alleged attack. We are checking other possibilities,” the officer said without elaborating.